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More importantly, should you?
If you’re unlucky enough to get into an auto accident, filing a police report may or may not be required in your state. But regardless of the legal requirement, filing a car insurance claim with a police report makes it more likely that you’ll be eligible for insurance compensation than if you file without. A police report is a form of evidence, and the more evidence you have, the better the chance your provider will cover your claim.
To answer a frequently asked car insurance question, yes, you can file a car insurance claim without a police report. However, we don’t recommend it; if you have the chance, file a police report to include in your claim.
Police reports help claims because they provide more evidence of whose fault the accident was, which will ultimately determine who pays for damages and bodily injuries. If the car accident wasn’t your fault and you need to make a third-party claim, a police report can substantiate the damages and/or injuries. Note that the cost of auto insurance won’t rise after an accident that wasn’t your fault.
Even if a car accident is your fault, you should call the police to make a report.
If your accident falls under required reporting laws (which we’ll detail below), you could face legal penalties for not reporting it. But even if it’s not required, without a police report, your insurance provider may deny that the collision happened or otherwise deny coverage.
This could leave you liable to pay out of pocket for any damages that result from the accident (unless you live in New Hampshire or Virginia, neither of which require property damage liability for the other party). Of course, you’ll have to pay for your own damages if you want to keep your car in use.
While you can receive compensation from your insurance provider without a police report in your claim, you’re much more likely to be compensated if you include a police report in the claim. However, it’s possible to get a payout if you provide other evidence, such as the following:
You only need to file a police report after an accident under certain circumstances.
Each state has different reporting requirements and deadlines to file reports.
State | Accident reporting requirements | Deadline to file a police report | Penalties for not reporting |
---|---|---|---|
Alabama | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $500 by an uninsured motorist | 30 days | Class A misdemeanor (up to $1,000 fine) for accidents resulting in property damages, Class C felony ($2,500 to $6,000 fine) for accidents resulting in death or injury |
Alaska | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $2,000 | 10 days | License suspension for not more than 30 days; a fine of not more than $200, imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both |
Arizona | No state law requiring the driver involved in an accident to file a police report | None | None |
Arkansas | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,000 | Immediate (death or injury) or 30 days (property damage) | License suspension |
California | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,000 | 10 days | 90 days to 4 years in prison and/or a $1,000 to $10,000 fine |
Colorado | Death, injury, or any property damage | 10 days | 10 to 90 days in jail, $150 to $300 fine, or both |
Connecticut | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,000 | 5 days | $75 to $600 fine, imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or both for first offense; fine of $100 to $1,000, imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or both for subsequent offenses |
Delaware | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $500 | Immediately | $25 to $75 fine for first offense; $57.50 to $95 fine for subsequent offenses |
District of Columbia | None | None | None |
Florida | Death or injury, property damage worth over $500 | As soon as possible | $30 fine |
Georgia | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $500 | Immediately | 3 points on driving record |
Hawaii | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $3,000 | Immediately | $100 fine |
Idaho | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,500 | Immediately | Fines or license suspension |
Illinois | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,500 or $500 if any vehicle is uninsured | 10 days | License suspension |
Indiana | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $750 | Immediately | License and vehicle registration suspension |
Iowa | Report not required for an accident with death, injury, or damage of $1,500 or more if the accident was investigated by the police | 3 days if a report is required | License suspension |
Kansas | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,500 | Immediately | License suspension, fine not more than $500 |
Kentucky | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $500 | 10 days | Fine of $20 to $100 |
Louisiana | None | None | None |
Maine | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,000 | Immediately | Imprisonment for 6 months and a $1,000 fine |
Maryland | Death or injury | 15 days | 5 points and a $140 fine |
Massachusetts | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,000 | 5 days | License suspension |
Michigan | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,000 | Immediately | Imprisonment for not more than 90 days, a fine of not more than $100, or both |
Minnesota | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,000 | 10 days | License suspension |
Mississippi | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $500 | 10 days | License suspension |
Missouri | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $500 | 5 days | License suspension, fine, or possible misdemeanor charge |
Montana | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,000 | Immediately | Misdemeanor ($200 to $300 fine or imprisonment for 20 days) |
Nebraska | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,000 | 10 days | Class V misdemeanor (maximum fine of $100) |
Nevada | All crashes | Immediately | Driving privileges suspension for maximum of 1 year |
New Hampshire | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,000; driver report not required if police file report | 5 days | Felony if the accident caused death or injury, misdemeanor if there was only property damage |
New Jersey | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $500 | Immediately | License suspension, $30 to $100 fine |
New Mexico | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $500 | Immediately | License suspension |
New York | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,500 | 10 days | Fine up to $250, 15 days imprisonment, or both |
North Carolina | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,000 | Immediately | Up to $100 fine |
North Dakota | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,000; report not required for property damage only with an undomesticated animal | Immediately | License suspension |
Ohio | All crashes | Immediately | Fine not more than $150 |
Oklahoma | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $500 | Immediately (death or injury) or 6 months (property damage) | License suspension |
Oregon | Injury or death, more than $2,500 in damage to driver’s vehicle, more than $2,500 in damage to any vehicle, any vehicle towed from the scene, more than $2,500 of any property damage (not including a vehicle); 911 call required if there’s an injury or fatality |
72 hours | Up to $300 fine |
Pennsylvania | Death, injury, or disabled vehicle | 5 days | Driving privileges suspension |
Rhode Island | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,000 | 21 days | Fine of not more than $500 |
South Carolina | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,000 | 15 days | $100 to $5,000 fine, 1 year of imprisonment, or both |
South Dakota | Death, injury, property damage worth over $1,000 to 1 person’s property or $2,000 of total property damage | Immediately | Class 2 misdemeanor (up to 30 days imprisonment, $500 fine, or both) |
Tennessee | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $50 | Immediately (death, injury, or property damage of $50 to $400) or 20 days (death, injury, or property damage worth over $400) | License and registration suspension |
Texas | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,000 | Immediately (death or injury) or 10 days (property damage) | License suspension |
Utah | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,000 | 10 days | License suspension |
Vermont | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $3,000 | 3 days | Fine |
Virginia | Death or injury | Immediately | Fine of not more than $250 |
Washington | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $700 | 4 days | License suspension |
West Virginia | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,000 | Immediately | License suspension |
Wisconsin | Death, injury, property damage worth over $1,000, or government property damage of $200 or more | Immediately to law enforcement by quickest means of communication | $40 to $200 fine |
Wyoming | Injury, property damage, or death worth over $1,000 | Immediately | $200 fine1 |
If your accident doesn’t fall into the above circumstances in your state, then you’re not legally required to file a police report. But again, if you want to get covered under a claim, we recommend filing a police report anyway so you can include it in your claim as evidence.
You have a set amount of time when you can file a police report and receive personal injury or damage claims. Check your state’s statute of limitations below.
It’s best to file a police report as soon as possible after an accident; that will shorten the length of the claims process.
State | Statute of limitations for personal injury claims (in number of years) | Statute of limitations for property damage claims (in number of years) |
---|---|---|
Alabama | 2 | 2 |
Alaska | 2 | 2 |
Arizona | 2 | 2 |
Arkansas | 3 | 3 |
California | 2 | 3 |
Colorado | 3 | 3 |
Connecticut | 2 | 2 |
Delaware | 2 | 2 |
District of Columbia | 3 | 3 |
Florida | 4 | 4 |
Georgia | 2 | 4 |
Hawaii | 2 | 2 |
Idaho | 2 | 3 |
Illinois | 2 | 5 |
Indiana | 2 | 2 |
Iowa | 2 | 5 |
Kansas | 2 | 2 |
Kentucky | 1 | 2 |
Louisiana | 1 | 1 |
Maine | 6 | 6 |
Maryland | 3 | 3 |
Massachusetts | 3 | 3 |
Michigan | 3 | 3 |
Minnesota | 2 | 6 |
Mississippi | 3 | 3 |
Missouri | 5 | 5 |
Montana | 3 | 2 |
Nebraska | 4 | 4 |
Nevada | 2 | 3 |
New Hampshire | 3 | 3 |
New Jersey | 6 | 6 |
New Mexico | 3 | 4 |
New York | 3 | 3 |
North Carolina | 3 | 3 |
North Dakota | 6 | 6 |
Ohio | 4 | 4 |
Oklahoma | 2 | 2 |
Oregon | 2 | 6 |
Pennsylvania | 2 | 2 |
Rhode Island | 3 | 10 |
South Carolina | 3 | 3 |
South Dakota | 3 | 6 |
Tennessee | 1 | 3 |
Texas | 2 | 2 |
Utah | 4 | 3 |
Vermont | 3 | 3 |
Virginia | 2 | 5 |
Washington | 3 | 3 |
West Virginia | 2 | 2 |
Wisconsin | 3 | 6 |
Wyoming | 4 | 4 |
If you get into an accident, it’s best to report it to the police before filing a claim with your insurance provider. Here’s how.
Don’t automatically go with the repair shop estimates your insurance provider gives you. Call around to get quotes from multiple repair shops, and don’t be afraid to choose one that’s out of network.
If you are involved in a car accident, your instinct may be to go home and decompress, but before you do, call a police officer and make a report. It could be the difference between getting a claim covered and paying out of pocket.
If you need help, you may want to call a car accident attorney; they can help you get compensated for everyone involved in the accident. You may even be able to get a free case evaluation at some firms.
State-by-State Laws & Requirements for Reporting a Car Accident. Enjuris. (2022).
https://www.enjuris.com/car-accident/accident-reporting-requirements.html